Chapter 70:

"Didn't your mother teach you not to argue with people older than you?" Angela asked coldly and Sharon couldn't help but smile in her hiding place.

"I –"

"Nothing!" Angela said firmly. "You're staying, end of discussion!"

"O… kay," Flynn said hesitantly.

"Good, I'm glad we could agree on that," she said. He arched his eyebrows and scoffed.

"You're so much like your daughter in certain things," he muttered.

"Thank you. I take it as a compliment," her voice was still quite cold. "It IS a compliment, isn't it?" she asked menacingly.

"Of course it is," he chuckled in embarrassment and Sharon decided to enter the kitchen before their conversation turned even more embarrassing for him. The two of them stopped talking when she came in, and just watched her as she took her seat next to Flynn, looking very tired.

"Lieutenant Flynn is staying here tonight," Angela announced.

"No, he's not," Sharon said quietly, running her fingers through her hair. "He doesn't have clothes to change and I'm sure he wants to take a shower after what he's been through today."

"He can sleep just fine without any clothes off," Angela said casually and Flynn's eyes widened in shock, but she didn't notice. "I'm sure it's nothing you haven't seen already."

"Oh, god," Sharon dropped her head to her arm, which was lying on the table. Flynn looked at her and the situation seemed so absurdly funny to him, that he had to make an effort not to laugh. "Why do you like embarrassing me so much?" her voice was muffled by the table, which was very close to her mouth in the position she was in.

Angela got on her feet and straightened her clothes. "It's just my little trick for getting some real emotion from you, dear," she explained lightly, and added "I'm going to make my bed on the couch." She left the kitchen quickly and Sharon followed her with her gaze. After she disappeared from sight, she looked at Flynn and saw he was smiling.

"Excuse me, what is so amusing to you?" she asked in mock anger.

"Your mother," he said honestly.

"There's something wrong with her, I swear," Sharon rolled her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder.

(***)

Sharon was walking on the path leading to the entrance of the warehouse. It was almost completely dark, and her heart was pounding frantically. She could feel the fear deep in her bones but her legs wouldn't obey her brain and run away. She opened the door and walked inside the dark warehouse. The second she stepped in it, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, slamming the door behind her.

"I'm so glad you came," said a familiar voice. "It's time for payback."

Somebody turned on the lights and she saw Suarez standing right next to her with a gun pointed to her head. There was a big blood stain on his chest and his skin looked white as if he was a dead body.

"Say goodbye, bitch," he said menacingly and his finger pulled the trigger.

The loud bang from the shot awakened Sharon and she sat up quickly, terrified. She was breathing fast and it took her a few seconds to realize she was safe in her bed.

"Sharon?" Flynn asked in a sleepy voice and sat up too, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…" she didn't know what to say.

"Hey… what's wrong?" he wrapped his arms around her now and placed a little kiss on her shoulder. His lips stayed there for a few moments as he waited for her to answer, but she remained quiet. "Sharon," he turned her to him so he could see her face, "was it the first time you shot and killed someone?"

She shook her head without saying a word.

"You do realize he was a criminal mastermind, don't you?"

"I know," she said quietly.

"So it was your first time? Is that why you're so upset?"

"No… I shot someone when I was in patrol, many... many years ago, and he died."

"Did you take it hard back then too?" he asked and she nodded. "But these are bad people," he couldn't understand why she would feel so bad for ridding the world of a very bad man.

"I know I didn't have a choice but to shoot him," she didn't sound very sure of herself.

"So?"

"It's just how I feel. And I can't control my dreams… or nightmares."

"Or overly-developed conscience," he said gently and she gave him a little, bitter smile. "Do you wanna go back to sleep? We can watch TV or something."

"No, it's okay. Can you just…" she stopped in midsentence, the rest of it only sounding in her mind, hold me until I fall asleep?

"What?" he frowned.

"Nothing. Goodnight," she gave him a brief kiss and laid back down with her back to him. She felt Flynn moving behind her, lying down too, and a second later she felt his arm on her waist. A smile appeared on her face as she felt the familiar sense of security, that he always gave her, spreading inside her, calming her.